We've Relocated! HometownMusician has moved from rural Laurelton, PA to the more urban Berwick, PA. Things are slowly coming back together for New bands, New photos and New articles...Stay Tuned!

 

 Welcome to YOUR local music & entertainment resource! Hometown Musician is dedicated to bringing you news, reviews, and interviews from around Pennsylvania, covering your favorite local musicians, bands, artists, venues & more! We are working hard to bring you more in-depth coverage of your favorite local entertainment, including:

Submitted by shelbyvilleband

Q: Celtic bands are not really out there. They are in certain circles, but some people don’t know about it, and it is a beautiful form of music. How would you describe Celtic music to someone who has never heard it before? 

A: Bekki: “I think Celtic music runs a gamete of emotion, from extreme happiness, to almost mournful. I always call it music for manic depressives just because you have both ends of the spectrum represented in this music genre.”

Mark:  “A lot of people at my job hate it. So I always tell that it’s folk music, it has a lot of passion.”   

Tara: “its music of the people, people tell their stories and its old music.”

Q: How long have you guys been a mind and how did you get together?

A: Bekki: “We’ve been together 4 years; we met Tara through a mutual friend at a St. Patrick’s Day party. She was the fiddle player that was doing the music for the party. We were like wow, wow! That was in 2004, so we jammed a little bit and asked her if she’d like to do this, she said yeah and the rest is pretty much history.”

Read more...

State College, PA - Jazz and life for 37 year old saxophone player Rick Hirsch of the sextet Liquid Jazz band go hand in hand. “We didn’t know how we were going to get from point A to point B all the time. I mean we had road maps, but we really listen to one another and respond.” Watching Hirsch perform on stage is like watching the waves of the ocean rise and fall again. There is a natural rhythm that flows from his saxophone to the audience; a playful banter between himself and the other members of the band. It is a conversation between men using notes instead of words. Hirsch navigates the unknown skillfully – his sax acting as his compass.    

“In my mind jazz is not elitist, it’s just instrumental so there’s no vocalist. There’s no one with the words telling you the story,” said Hirsch after performing this past Saturday afternoon for hundreds of Arts Fest attendees. A native of Newark, Delaware, Hirsch was first introduced to the saxophone at 9 years old. At 15 years old he got the jazz bug and he’s never looked back. You don’t have to be a jazz fan to get excited about it while talking with this sax man.

Read more...

Hey all!!! This is Tony, charismatic and colorful frontman for the Mifflinburg based modern rock cover band, "Scapegoat". This initial news brief will serve as a notice (warning) that "Scapegoat" is planning to take the central Pennsylvania area by storm. Also, I wish to initiate a relationship with you, the members of "HometownMusician.com" as well as the administrative staff. As the unofficial mouthpiece and central PR guy for the band, I will likely be the guy who is most accessible. Also, it doesn't matter because, if you don't seek me, I will eventually come knockin' down your door anyway. Sorry. It's just my nature. Haha. So, without further adeu.....

The mission of "Scapegoat" is to push the envelope on the local music scene. We center our setlists on modern rock and that means we have to play all the radio rock staples that everyone enjoys, even if it means boring the piss out of all four members of the band. Yeah, we know you like them and that's why we play them, but we intentionally push the envelope by inserting heavier, more gritty tunes by slightly lesser comercially supported bands that are still good, but too controversial to gain the support of this pathetically PC music industry. Basically, we are more than happy to serve as the rebels who refuse to accept what commercial rock radio deems appropriate for us and the soldiers who will bring the fight to the public every time we hit the stage. So, join forces for the cause.......it's always a party anyway!!!


Read more...

Hey everyone,

We are finishing up on our cd and getting ready for the release show. I still have some vocals to do and Mr. Studio is still working on the mix. Once vocals are done he will mix them in with the rest of the music and then we are having it mastered the following day. If all goes according to plan the cd will be done in time for our show at Sozo on August 26th. We are playing with The Morning Light (Fearless Records) from Pittsburgh, Lose the Name (Takeover Digital Records) from Tyrone, and The Warskills. Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 7:30. Tickets are only $10 if you buy them from one of us but $12 at the door, so let us know and we will get you one ahead of time. We only have about 25 tickets left, so get ahold of us soon. We will be selling them at all of our upcoming shows if you want to pick one up then. We will most likely be playing the MiffCo Takeover show in State College/Bellefonte on August 2nd, although it is still TBA.

Special Merch DISCOUNT: For our cd release show at Sozo we are having a discounted merch sale. In the future our cd is going to cost $4 dollars, but for the cd release show we are selling it for $2. Also, if you buy a shirt at the Sozo show for $8 we will give you a cd for FREE! This offer is only happening once, so come out to our show at Sozo August 26th if you plan on getting any Shelbyville merch.

We hope to see everyone at one of these shows and to get rid of some tickets for the Sozo show. See you soon!

Aaron & Shelbyville

Submitted by shelbyvilleband

By Shani Robin
Staff Reporter
shani@hometownmusician.com

Q: As a musician where do you pull from for writing some of Emberwell’s songs?

A: “A lot of it is Confucian from my own life and asking questions that I have, questioning whether what I grew up believing is real.”

Q: When did you start playing instruments?

A: “Probably since 8th grade, I started playing the drums. My parents got me a guitar for Christmas one year and I’ve been playing ever since.”

Read more...

By R. Overdorff
For the CDT (http://www.centredaily.com)
The hills might not be alive with he sound of music, but downtown State College will ring with some great tunes this weekend. Although you won't find the Von Trapp Family Singers crooning "My Favorite Things," you will hear some top-notch local bands, sans lederhosen, at
the second annual Summer's Best Music Fest.
The fest will consist of a varied group of bands and solo acts from across central Pennsylvania, each bringing its own unique style and flair to the stage.

Read more...

Good Copy, Bad Copy